Hello,

I am wondering if anyone has tried building a wooden midi-lathe
stand such as this? I own a Jet midi-lathe (the popular 10" swing
model) with bed extension, and considering how... err... lightweight
the Jet accessory stand is, I would like to try this instead.

Constructed of SYP, it is 52" long, 32" tall - this puts the spindle
centerline right at my elbow. The major members are 3 1/4" x 2 3/4".
The 'bed' is 3 1/4" x 8 1/4" x 52" and quite substantial. Dowels,
screws and carriage bolts fasten it together. It is/will be quite
heavy! (I've already constructed the 'bed' and leg assemblies.)
The lathe will, of course, be bolted to the 'bed'.

This is a picture of the general concept:

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Images/LatheStandP01.jpg

I know vibration is a problem, and have tried to design this 'thing'
to be self-supporting and fully braced - as well as using bolts,
dowels, and screws (and glue) in it's construction.

I turn things as big as a SuperNova2 chuck will grip, and have, to
this point, been turning with the lathe simply sitting on a very
sturdy shop cabinet that is too tall, and interferes with both the
tools and optimal body positioning.

I've turned bowls, vases, goblets, plates, etc. I plan to try a
few segmented vessels this winter - most with diameters that
will approach the total swing of the lathe.

Some might argue that all of this big stuff is overstressing a
small lathe, but I'm not really interested in turning pens. If it
pukes, and I still enjoy turning, I'll save up for a bigger lathe...
I really have no complaints with the performance of this lathe
on larger items, although heavy cuts are prohibited...

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Images/TurningsGen01.JPG


Thanks for any useful input.
Greg


Greg G.